Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-24346

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to amending the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020 to allow mountain hares to be hunted for the purposes of falconry.

Question reference: S6W-24341

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on how paying social care staff £12 per hour is consistent with the aims of the Fair Work agenda, in light of this level of pay reportedly contributing to a level of gender pay inequality.

The Scottish Government has a long-standing commitment to the principles of Fair-Work as we recognise and value the work that the social care sector do.

The £12 minimum pay-rate from April 2024 for Adult Social Care workers represents a 14.3% increase for these workers in the last two years; with pay rising from at least £10.50 per hour in April 2022.

Four out of five people who will benefit from this uplift in pay are women. Increasing pay not only helps the workforce in question but will also positively impact on our wider priorities on child poverty, Fair Work and post-Covid pandemic recovery in the health and care sector.

The creation of the National Care Service will help to provide consistency in further improved pay and conditions, access to training and development and ensuring a career in social care is attractive and rewarding – but we are beginning to make those improvements now .

Question reference: S6W-24330

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the planned elements of reform to the Agenda for Change pay structure will be (a) approved by the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care and (b) implemented.

I am delighted that both Staff Side and NHS Board representatives have worked in partnership with us to undertake an extensive review of the Agenda for Review framework, which included the existing pay structure.

I am now considering the recommendations of the review alongside the wider impact of any action we take and the budget that we need to operate within.

We will continue to engage fully with our partners on all aspects of the review, including next steps.

Question reference: S6W-24348

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps the NHS takes to retrieve equipment that it has loaned to patients.

Question reference: S6W-24716

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many times an early medical abortion, or so-called abortion pill, has been prescribed to prisoners in the (a) female and (b) male prison estate, who were not pregnant upon incarceration, in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-24706

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what risk assessments have been undertaken by, or with the involvement of, any of its agencies regarding projects seeking to utilise private investment in nature, woodland creation and peatland restoration, and whether it will publish any such assessments.

Question reference: S6W-24349

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the value is of equipment that has been loaned to patients by each NHS board in the last year for which figures are available.

Question reference: S6W-24347

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it is reportedly difficult for patients to return NHS equipment that they have been loaned back to the NHS board.

Question reference: S6T-01768

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement from the UK Government that it plans to ban single-use vapes to protect children’s health, whether it will outline what action is being taken in Scotland.

Question reference: S6T-01765

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what role the National Clinical Director has had in relation to the clinical review process for former patients of Professor Eljamel.